As they walked along the mountain path, Baltoy extended its Confusion into the surroundings, scouting while training its psychic power.
Yong studied the map carefully, checking it against their route so he wouldn't get lost.
He had arrived in this world before Ash set out-in other words, before the original story began.
That meant the future version of Layla, who explored the civilization behind the Baltoy ruins, had yet to return here in a time machine to wait for her past self and Ash!
Since that part of the story hadn't happened yet, Yong couldn't be bothered to search for those ancient ruins. They might have been connected to Baltoy, but aside from the time machine, there was nothing worth exploring. The so-called treasure of the universe was actually time!
It was all meant to teach Ash the importance of time, so he would leave it for Ash to discover in the future!
They kept walking, and the sky had already grown dark.
"Did you hear something, Baltoy?"
Yong suddenly stopped and looked around in confusion. He thought he had heard a strange, barely audible sound.
"Ya~ na~?"
Blue light shone in Baltoy's eyes as it released its psychic power, widening its search of the surroundings.
"Ya na?"
Baltoy looked toward the mountain woods on their right and hesitated slightly. Seeing this, Yong asked,
"What is it? Did you find something?"
"Ya na!"
With a brief reply, it floated toward the woods, and Yong followed close behind.
They hadn't gone far when a small wooden cabin appeared before them. An old woman stood out front, looking at them with a sorrowful expression and muttering something under her breath.
Yong hesitated. They were already quite close to Longevity Town, so it wasn't strange for someone to live here, was it?
He